One Small Wave that Created a Bigger One
by ButterfliesFireflies
Summary: Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta have been best friends since before they could walk. So what happens when they pretend to date in order to humor their classmates? Easy right? These things are never easy. Finnick and Annie's story
1. Chapter 1

"Annie, why do you have to be so-so-," my best friend Finnick said.

"So what, Fin? So obstinate? So stubborn?" I replied.

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of so annoying."

"Gee, Fin, that hurt," I said feigning sadness.

We've been best friends for as long as I can remember. It's always been Annie and Finnick, not just Annie or just Finnick. We've been there for each other through the good and the bad. We were there for each other for the things that we couldn't face alone like my mother's

death and Finnick's brother and his sacrifice. We stuck up for each other when we thought no one else cared. We've been on trips together, had sleepovers, and been to every family event the other's had. Finnick knows me better than anyone. He knows about the nightmares

and the visions. When others say I'm mad he defends me even though it's probably true. I love him like my brother. We've been through a lot together.


	2. Chapter 2

"You two would be sooooo cute together," some girl squeals. Do I even know her? She looks familiar. Oh, right, she's in one of my classes. Fin and I just look at each other and roll our eyes. When will anyone understand that we are just friends? Purely friends! No romance! We just walk away.

"How many times has that been this week?" he asks me.

"Seven or eight," I reply.

"Why can't people understand that we are just friends? Best friends? Goodness-" he trails off.

"What?" I ask him.

"Annie that's it! If we give them something to talk about, maybe they'll stop talking."

"Sorry, not following," Finnick often has to explain things to me more than once.

"Why don't we pretend to go out?" he says. "Maybe then they'll get over their infatuation with us being a couple and we can break up when the time is right."

"That's actually a really good idea. It might be the only thing that will stop them," I reply.

"So, you in?" he asks.

"Dating, no romantic strings attached? It could be that easy?" I ask.

"It could be that easy."

"I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

It's been three days since we began "dating". Three, long, painful, annoying days. Not because of Finnick, no, Finnick is perfect, but because the rest of the school. We haven't had a minute alone since the day he "asked me out". Everyone wants to sit next to us at lunch, everyone wants to eavesdrop on our conversations and say "Awwwww" at any random time, and everyone wants to be our best friends. I'm starting to think that this may have backfired on us. I even mentioned that to Finnick and he said, "You think? No. Just give it a couple more days. They'll get over it." So for now I'll just tough it out.

Tomorrow is Emily Tanner's big birthday, dance bash. She has huge blowout parties every year. Her father's a big man in the Capitol, so naturally he get she best for his children. Every year it's the same, boys have to ask girls to go with them to her party. Last year, I wasn't even invited. Finnick was. He went with Coral Jamison. She ended up ditching him and he came over to my house in tears. "I didn't know girls could be so mean! Why can't they just be like you?" I comforted him over his first heartbreak that night.

I knew it was coming before it came. Finnick was oblivious. He didn't realize that the girls would be forcing him to ask me to Emily's birthday. He went along with it, with charade of us dating. After all, I knew he would never like me like that. I was just friend. That's all we'd ever be, friends.

It was the night of the dance. I was sort of jittery for some reason. I've never really been excited for these sort of things. It's probably just because I'm at my friend Mallory's house to get ready for the party. She's going to make me pretty. Maybe Finnick will finally notice me as something more... Wait, why am I thinking like that? I don't like Finnick! He's my best friend! Nothing more! Mallory puts me in a green blouse with a white skirt and brushes on some makeup. "Thanks," I tell her. She is basically my only other friend besides Finnick. When I want some girl time, I go to her. "Your welcome. Now, let's go," she says.

When we arrive at the party, I immediately want to go into some corner and crawl into a ball. There is way too loud music and blinking lights that give me dull, throbbing pains in my head. I walk into the middle of the dance floor and am overcome with the amount of pulsing, dancing people. I look for Finnick. Oh! There he is. Wow! He looks handsome! What? Annie? Snap out of it! You are just friends, I think to myself, nothing more. Wait, am I thinking wistfully? Stop, stop, stop! The next song to come on just happens to be a slow song, I'm sure that Emily Tanner planned it that way. I see girls around Finnick nagging him to ask Annie to dance. It's not like he needed any nagging, Finnick would have asked her anyways. He walked over to her. Annie could feel her heartbeat quicken. Stop it, Annie! He's just your best friend, she scolded herself. He put his hands around her waist. By now Annie's heart was running at the speed of light. Could I be falling in love with my best friend, Annie asked herself.

"Annie, you look beautiful," Finnick said and he meant it. She did look beautiful, why hadn't he noticed it before? She is beautiful. I might be falling in love, Finnick thought to myself as they swayed to the music.


End file.
